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Summary Session 1 * The Salisbury knights meet up after a gentle winter: only Sir Lyceum's manor had ill tidings. ** Sirs Bosley, Pellyn, Rhodric, Rhun and Roreth arrive in court wearing matching rings bought by Sir Rhodri - shaped like the head of an eagle, they now call their fellowship The Knights Of The Eagle. * Court is filled with scandal about Lady Ruth, whose affair with the Baron of Hantonne has come to an end when he married a younger lady. * At royal court on Pentecost, the Salisbury knights mingle with the great and the good, including King Pellinore, Merlin and Ganieda. ** Sir Bosley finds Merlin particularly hard to understand as he babbles about a magical kingdom to the north and how wizards see time differently. ** He is also distressed that the young Nimue appears to be flirting with Merlin, a good forty years her elder. ** Sir Rhodric speaks to the newly knighted Sir Gaheris, the third of Lot's sons to be knighted. * King Arthur announces that construcion will begin shortly on his new capital city, while Guinevere declares a toast to "Lord Jesu" * The great feast is interrupted when a knight in skull-shaped helm, his lady in mourning clothes and their dwarf servant ride their black palfreys into the hall and challenge King Arthur ** The woman accuses Arthur of being a murderer of children, placing the blame for the May Babies squarely on his head and curing the chivalry he claims to uphold. ** Sir Bosley cannot stand this insult to King Arthur's name and is the first knight to leap to his liege's defence. ** A date for the challenge is set - in 42 days time, The Grey Knight shall fight for Arthur's honour with Sir Bosley. ** The knights of Earl Robert of Salisbury are not entirely sure what to make of Bosley's decision to try and be a hero - and Lady Ruth is furious * At a private conference, Arthur Pendragon speaks to Bosley, Guinevere, Gawaine and Merlin about what must come to pass to win the challenge. * At the next day after mass, a proclamation is made by King Arthur to all the knights present - they must ride out into the wilderness and recover the treasures of Britain, for one of them holds the key to defeating the spectral knight. ** Merlin's cryptic words about "time working differently for wizards" start to make sense- he was telling the knights where they must go on this quest! * The Knights of the Eagle, with Lady Ruth in tow, ride out to the magical kingdom Merlin spoke of in search of the Whetstone of Tudwal... Session 2 * The Knights of the Eagle encounter several adventures on their journeys ** Just into Gloucester they come across the Castle of the Beard, a land whose lord claims no man bar he can wear a beard and sends out his knights to them off others by force. *** Sir Bosley is happy to shave of his moustache to get through this obstacle, but Sir Roreth can let this affront stand and demand to joust the three men who challenge them. *** Sir Roreth defeats two before finding himself sore wounded; Sir Rhodric, even though he is clean shaven, takes to the field for the third knight, all of whom come off the worst against The Knights of the Eagle in the joust. ** Riding on out the north of Logres and towards the Pennine Mountains, passage through the village of Olbray is blocked by Sir Vardilain, an old knight wielding a morningstar who challenges any who would pass through. *** Sir Rhun takes this challenge, and the knight is bested in combat on foot. *** Sir Vardilain explains he has orders from King Pellam, lord of The Wastelands, to deny entrance to this village to anyone who does not bear the seal of the King himself. ** In the Perilous Forest, a marvelous sights awaits the knights - a tawny lion battles a white serpent, tearing with their teeth at the flesh of each other. Watching this is a young golden-haired boy dressed in black and white checked clothing, who asks the Knights if they think good or evil shall win the day. *** Lady Ruth advises that this is clearly a glamour or fey folk trick and the knights hsould not intervene. *** Without interruption, the serpent bests the lion. Behind a rock it bring out three lion cubs, whom it then swallows in a single gulp. *** The cherub-like child announces his verdict. "The innocents are slain. The serpent reigns. The Grey Knight's cause is proven just" *** The Knights wonder if the message here may be that evil shall come to pass if good knights sit back and do not intervene. * Finally, a strange bridge in the shape of a giant sword marks the crossing point between the lands of men and the strange world of the Wastelands. ** The vicious river is too deep and fast to cross even by horseback, but the bridge is as sharp as a true blade would be. ** Sir Rhun takes off his armour and crawls across the bridge, bleeding heavilly as his hands are sliced, but from the other side he can help the rest cross safely. ** Here at the shore of the Watelands are many strange sights - a tomb to a dead knight called Sir Balin, and a sword sticking out of a piece of red marble. *** Writing on the pommel read: "Never shall man take me hence, but only he by whose side I ought to hang, and he shall be the best knight in the world" * Deeper into the Wastelands they find The City of Glass, a beautiful demesne as made from stained glass. ** Princess Alis, lady of the castle, bids them welcome and puts on a feast in their celebration, and many amenable lords and ladies to make them good cheer. *** Lady Ruth warns the knights to be careful of eating the food offered, lest the magic of the fair folk work its way on their hearts. ** Princess Alis says the Whetstone is in her possession and in exchange for a task she will hand it over... Session 3 * Princess Alis wishes the knights to recover her steed that was stolen by Sangnoir, a giant who lives nearby. * The knights ride out through the grey scrub and blasted heaths of the wasteland, cursed a decade ago by the Dolorous Stroke ** Lady Ruth, who had an urge to lay with Sir Bosley, is infuriated that he failed to spot her invitation and instead took a faerie floozie to his bedchamber. * At the hillock of the giant, Sir Bosley rides out to challenge the beast, who standard twelve foot tall. * In the end Sir Rhun and Sir Roreth cannot stand by and let Sir Bosley perish in battle alone and ride to his help, with Sir Rhodric pulling the injured Rhun out of the melee and Lady Ruth using her magic. ** Here in the Wastelands, magic flows much easier than in the rest of Britain and Lady Ruth is able to summon a mighty griffon as if it were nothing. * Sir Roreth is badly injured and must be returned to the City of Glass, where chirugery and faerie magic is worked on his wounds. ** Lady Ruth also helps heal her colleagues, but she must place the wounds they took somewhere - so she makes herself ill so the knights can ride safely. * The steed is returned to Princess Alis, who rewards the knights with the Whetstone of Tudwal as promised * The knights ride out, but realise as they near court they have misjudged their time - outside the Wastelands it is St Swithin's Day, near two weeks later than they thought and almost the day of the duel! * At court they arrive when the duel is already underway, Sir Gawaine taking the place as the second of Sir Bosley. ** By correct procedure they stall the fight for a moment so as to give Gawaine a blade sharpened on the whetstone - with this is the Grey Knight slain and Arthur's honour proved. ** After the victory, Merlin takes the Whetstone from the knights and thanks them for what may be the last service they do for him - his time will soon be at an end. *** "But thanks to you, the flower of chivalry was not plucked to soon. Now, all will know that for ONE BRIEF, SHINING MOMENT!... there was a place... as 'Camelot."'' * Great rewards are offered to the Knights of the Eagle for their efforts ** Sir Bosley asks for land to be held in his own name to help him become a better knight, as he would have the care of people in his hand ** Sir Rhodric asks for '''TBC ** Sir Roreth asks for TBC ** Sir Rhun asks for TBC ** Lady Ruth asks for land to hold in her own right. * Winter comes to Salisbury, and though there are grim tidings of Saxon rebellions to the east, the people are mostly content. ** Sir Bosley TBC ** Sir Pellyn TBC ** Sir Rhodric TBC ** Sir Roreth TBC ** Sir Rhun TBC ** Lady Ruth TBC Details * First appearance of Sir Gaheris: son of King Lot and Queen Margawse, younger brother of Sir Gawaine and Sir Agravaine * First appearance of the Whetstone of Tudwal, a magical treasure of Britain. If a brave man sharpens his sword with it, the next blow he delivers shall slay they whose flesh it cuts. * First assemblage of the Knights of the Eagle * First trip to The Wastelands and The City of Glass